We Asked a World-Renowned Skin Expert What the Perfect AM and PM Routine Should Look Like
Sadaf Razi is Adore Beauty's Senior Beauty Editor.
She's a former fashion editor (who worked at various glossy mags) and stylist-turned digital beauty and lifestyle writer. She has been in the lifestyle/media industry for over 10 years and her work has also been featured on international covers like Elle France and Vanity Fair Mexico.
Some of her fave Adore Beauty products include Cicaplast B5, CeraVe Cleansing Oil and Lancôme Renergie Triple Serum.
When you find yourself sitting across from Melanie Grant, one of the world’s most sought-after skin experts, it’s nearly impossible not to be distracted (read: mesmerised) by her incredibly radiant, luminous, glass-like complexion.
Which aside from her decades of skin knowledge and expertise, should give anyone confidence that her words of skin wisdom are something to take note of.
After interviewing Melanie for our award-winning Beauty IQ podcast last year and again recently, one thing became clear - beyond her encyclopaedic skincare knowledge and signature glow, what makes her truly remarkable is her presence…
Despite tending to some of the world’s most famous faces (yes, Victoria Beckham and Nicole Kidman included), having skin studios in Australia, LA and London, Melanie is disarmingly humble, kind, and generous with her time and wisdom.
You can tell instantly that Melanie Grant is the kind of expert who genuinely wants to share her skincare knowledge - not gatekeep it.
Recently, we (along with 35 of our Adore Beauty loyalty customers) were lucky enough to spend an intimate evening with her in Sydney, hosted by one of my personal favourite brands (and Melanie’s) - Bioderma. Grant even uses the OG, cult Bioderma Sensibio H2O Soothing Micellar Water Cleanser 250ml in her clinic.
Between sharing her sage skincare wisdom and treating us to a mini at-home facial demonstration after which our loyalty customers also got to take a whole suite of Bioderma's best products home (proof that it pays to be an Adore Beauty loyalty customer), Melanie reminded us why she’s so trusted in the industry.
And because we couldn’t keep all that skincare brilliance to ourselves, we’re bringing you some of her golden skincare tips as well as what the best AM and PM skincare routine should look like:
But first! We *had* to ask Melanie some need-to-know rapid fire skin questions:
What’s your all time favourite skincare ingredients and why?
While Melanie doesn’t have a "favourite skincare ingredient” per se because it depends on the skin she’s treating, she does have a couple of standouts:
“If SPF was an ingredient, that would be my all-time favourite ingredient because. I think it prevents so many things that it would be a no brainer."
She also loves Niacinamide!
"Niacinamide- is very multitasking and almost everyone benefits from it. It’s great for pigment, and oil regulation, it’s pore-refining, anti-inflammatory, and it's an antioxidant.”
Looking for a new SPF or niacinamide?
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At what age do you believe we should realistically start incorporating retinol into our routines?
“Our thirties” says Melanie.
“In our teens and our twenties enjoy good skin!
You've got really good skin, so the focus should be keeping it healthy, having a preventive approach (think: antioxidants, hydrators), keeping it nice and clean, enjoying that great skin and there’s plenty of time for things like retinoids."
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What are the best products and ingredients to use for anti-ageing skin care? (or as we like to say, “well ageing” - because ageing is a privilege!)
“Obviously retinol, you know it’s tried, tested, proven. I think it’s gold standard, when it comes to pro-ageing and well-ageing skin.
Also peptides (a great way to boost collagen and elastin) and ceramides, as we age, we start to experience transepidermal water loss, so for really locking in moisture ceramides are great.
Plus, fatty acids, well-nourished skin always looks healthy, plump, juicy and youthful.
Then I also love vitamin C, for the right skin type that tolerates it, it’s brightening, it’s firming, and promotes collagen as well. It’s a phenomenal ingredient!”
Looking for a new retinol or vitamin C?
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If you could only use one product for the rest of your life (think: desert island must-have) what would it be?
“Im a crispy chip, I'm a dry person, I love a moisturiser - I think a moisturiser is the one thing that makes my skin feel supple, comfortable, juicy and glowy.
You know, you apply your moisturiser, and you all of a sudden it breathes life into the skin.
It’s the one thing I always reach for!”
Want to top up your moisturiser?
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What's your best piece of skincare advice?
“When it comes to skin, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I live by it when it comes to skincare, because there's so many things that we can really do/to prevent, rather than trying to fix a concern later.
I see so many people saying, “I can still go in the sun or I can just do laser, or those who say I’ll just do some injectibles", but ultimately, once you've lost that collagen, once the damage is done, it’s really hard to reverse and rebuild.
If you just apply an ounce of sunscreen each day, and if you're keeping your skin clean, hydrated and protected, it really does prevent so many things.”
Best AM and PM Skincare Routine According to Melanie Grant
AM ROUTINE:
We know the right skincare routine doesn’t have a million steps just the right steps,what does a good AM routine look like?
“For me, morning/day time routine is all about prevention. That's the main purpose I think in a morning routine.
So I do like a cleanse, because you want to remove sweat, oil and debris from overnight, also residual product from the night before so you have a nice, fresh canvas for the products that you're going to apply following.
A quick swipe with the Bioderma Micellar is always easy, you don't need to do a double cleanse, that's not necessary, a quick cream cleanse or a micellar water , just something to refresh the complexion.
I don't like layering serums, I just think it’s too many steps; you don’t need to use a toner in the morning, no acid toners, I like an antioxidant serum whether it’s a vitamin C, or a B - whatever suits your specific complexion."
Try:
For those who have a vitamin C and say a hyaluronic acid for their morning routine, what would your advice be with layering those?
“I would layer the vitamin C first, followed by the hyaluronic, but ultimately, I think find ONE there’s so many great ones that have a C and a hyaluronic in one serum, so you just have one step, however when layering you can end up with pilling.
They [the separate ingredients] don't all interact as well or play well together, it's just an unnecessary step.”
Another great pro tip from Melanie, is layering something like a moisturiser that has hyaluronic in it over your vitamin C rather than having two separate serums.
Also last but certainly not least Melanie says, “moisturiser and SPF.”
PM ROUTINE:
If mornings are about protecting, nights are about “preserving” your skin. Think supporting skin repair, renewal, and long-term age management. What does an ideal PM routine look like to you?
“Nights are about preserving, but also about “correcting”, so if you’re blemish-prone, if you have pigmentation or melasma, this is where you use those targeted treatments, so you might have a serum that’s focused on pigmentation, or you might have your acid toner and your serum for your congestion etc. but this is where you really want to focus on “what is it that I want to correct?"
If you're in your fifties or sixties then I could be about preserving skin, like using a nice retinoid and a really nice face oil, but I think this is where you think about what it is [concern] you want to target, correct or improve.”
Is it important for your night moisturiser to have active ingredients?
“My belief, the way serums are formulated, that's the workhorse of your routine, that's the concentrated, skin booster that’s going to do the heavy-lifiting, so if you've got a really targeted serum, you can even use your day moisturiser, like your hydrating cream to lock it in.
You don't “have” to have separate creams for day and night.
Melanie says you can choose a night moisturiser that has active ingredients but it's not necessary if you're relying on your serum to treat your targeted concern.
Finally, one of the most divisive skincare questions: do you need an eye cream?
“Yes we do absolutely, 100%.”
“The skin around our eyes has little to no sebaceous (oil) glands, and oil in our skin is there to keep it supple and pliable and nourished so if that skin is not supple and pliable, and also have a lot of expression/ we’re moving the eyes constantly, it's the most moved area of the face, you're going to get creasing.
So a targeted eye treatment or cream is pretty beneficial. You want to keep it really nourished and plump and always."
Another tip? Melanie encourages us to use our eye cream both day and night as most of us only tend to use it as part of our night routines (guilty) to keep the area hydrated.
"It also helps your makeup and concealer from creasing too much!"
Want to start an eye cream? Try these:
Finally…
Melanie emphasises the importance of a healthy diet for skin health.
“Especially after thirty. No matter how many fancy creams you use, facials or treatments, one of the main functions of our skin, is an indicator of our internal health.
So if we’re not eating well, we're not sleeping, skin will start to look a little sallow.
I’m a huge believer in fatty acids. Eat the salmon, nuts and olive oil, eat the avocado, even protein is good for connective tissue.
Melanie stresses that diet and sleep (that's when we repair and rejuvenate) are really crucial to skin health as well as aiming to manage stress, all of which can show up in the skin when not taken care of.
“Looking after your body as a whole really pays off.”
For more expert skincare advice, read these next:
